The San Francisco 49ers have enhanced the odds that All-Pro left tackle Joe Staley will finish his career with the franchise. Staley and the Niners agreed to a two-year contract extension on Thursday, the team announced:

In today’s NFL, it is rare for a player to play his entire career with one team. With this extension, Joe will likely be a 49er for life. He is a three-time All-Pro and core member of our football team. His commitment and professionalism have been great assets to our team and our community. This extension reflects our philosophy of investing in our core players.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com alluded to how one NFC West adversary considers Staley the best in the business at his position:

Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports reported back in March that Staley could be in line for a fresh payday because of his consistent performance on the gridiron:

Ever since the arrival of head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2011, San Francisco has gone to the NFC Championship Game three consecutive seasons, with Staley being on the field for every game during that span. Staley has the athleticism to get to the second level of a defense, which is key to the Niners' powerful rushing attack.

Protecting a quarterback's blind side is also important—something that Staley can do with great effectiveness. That is crucial for San Francisco especially now, with young QB Colin Kaepernick signing a $126 million contract extension of his own this offseason.

Kaepernick also tends to use his speed to scramble around, making it all the more important to have a capable left tackle such as Staley to aid his efforts in keeping broken plays alive.

Staley saw some dark days to start his career in San Francisco, but he's stuck it out and has now been rewarded to be part of a perennial Super Bowl contender. The Niners, though, have plenty of work to do to maintain their recent greatness.

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, tight end Vernon Davis would not report to training camp as of July 12. The same is true for offensive guard Alex Boone, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com:

There is an immense amount of competition in the NFC West, not least of which is the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a 10-win campaign and are looking to build on that, while the St. Louis Rams are bound to produce a winning season in Year 3 under coach Jeff Fisher.

Fighting against the grain of innate parity in the modern NFL, along with multiple holdouts and a defense that may decline in 2014, may be too much for the Niners to overcome. The good news is that Staley, who's been loyal to San Francisco for his entire career since the team selected him in Round 1 of the 2007 draft, sets a shining example for his teammates and will stick it out no matter what adversity the Niners face moving forward.

It was wise for Baalke to secure Staley for the long term, but there are more pressing contract issues on the horizon ahead of the team's first training camp practice on July 24.